FILM, TELEVISION + MUSIC

The Playa Haters’ Ball is easily one of the best in show history. I cannot understand how fans of Chappelle fail to discuss this sketch when talking about its most memorable moments. The skit’s humor is rooted in how natural it all feels, the chemistry between these friends and just naturally funny people fueling the bulk of it. Based on nothing but my personal speculation, the totality of that episode isn’t quite as memorable as others and that precludes it from consideration. Or even more simply, maybe people just don’t appreciate true comedians and pure Black comedy.

I have come to appreciate The Boondocks as a cultural time capsule that has somehow remained relevant despite the fact a great deal of these episodes are over a decade old. I may be aging but the show hasn’t at all, and every time I re-watch them I appreciate the show just a little bit more, especially as I learn more about the world. Now into my mid-20s, it’s clear The Boondocks might always remain culturally and socially relevant, or at least until I’m older. Disagree? "The Trial of Robert Kelly" is the second episode the show ever produced; 12 years later, R. Kelly is still free and was recently accused of holding teenage girls captive in an Atlanta compound. Still relevant.

Def Comedy Jam premiered on July 1, 1992, 3 weeks after my birth. If I’ve seen an episode of Def Comedy Jam before, I can’t remember it. Granted, I grew up in a house without HBO, and by the end of the show’s first run in 1997, I was barely old enough to watch television unsupervised. Regardless, watching this special — this celebration — instantaneously made Def Comedy Jam my favorite thing, maybe ever. Netflix was kind enough to give us 90 minutes of their reunion. I need that unreleased footage though, and sooner-than-later.